Women’s Super League - Title Implications in Huge Matchday 5 Fixtures
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
We’re just a few games into the 2025-26 Women’s Super League and we’re already presented with some pivotal matches. These results could wind up having a significant impact on the league champions as well as the battle for the Women’s Champions League places! Let’s break down the must-see matches of the weekend for the world’s top women’s football league.
Before we get into the fixtures, let’s take a quick refresher of the current top 6 in the standings:
| Position | Team | Record (W-D-L) | Goal differential | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chelsea | 4-0-0 | +8 | 12 |
| 2. | Man United | 3-1-0 | +10 | 10 |
| 3. | Man City | 3-0-1 | +7 | 9 |
| 4. | Tottenham | 3-0-1 | 0 | 9 |
| 5. | Arsenal | 2-2-0 | +7 | 8 |
| 6. | Brighton | 2-1-1 | +3 | 7 |
As a reminder to how the WSL qualification works, the top 2 positions at the end of the season qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League proper while third place enters into the third round of UWCL qualifying.
Manchester United vs Chelsea
Chelsea completed a historic season in 2024-25 by becoming the first Women’s Super League team to win the domestic treble. They also became the only ‘invincible’ WSL side in a 22-game season, winning their sixth straight league title with an unbeaten 19-3-0 record.
Manchester United will be seeking revenge for the 2024-25 FA Cup final, losing 3-0 to Chelsea which completed their opponents' treble. Unsurprisingly, the Blues are heavy title favourites once again while Manchester United came into the season as dark horses. A strong start to the campaign for the Red Devils has them gaining momentum coming into this key fixture.
What’s on the line?
Chelsea have a chance to underline their complete dominance over the English women’s game and maintain their 100% winning record. They’re also riding a 29-game unbeaten streak in the league dating back to last season.
For United, a victory against the defending champions and snapping their lengthy WSL unbeaten run would be a real statement of intent as to their title credentials. It’s the kind of win that could jumpstart a season and would give Chelsea plenty to think about. Check out what our experts think in our Manchester United vs Chelsea prediction!
Manchester City vs Arsenal
Arsenal are expected to give Chelsea the best run for their money for the league title according to many of the oddsmakers. The Gunners had a season to remember last year as they lifted the Women’s Champions League for the second time in their history, overcoming a heavily-favoured Barcelona side in the final. Their next goal will be knocking Chelsea off of their perch, with Arsenal’s last WSL title coming in the 2018-19 season.
After finishing fourth last year, Manchester City have started the 2025-26 season positively. They arguably deserved to get something out of their season-opening 2-1 loss to Chelsea, and have since won their next three league fixtures. They lead the WSL in a number of statistical attacking categories, including xG, shots on target and big chances created. They could pose some serious problems for Arsenal if they can maintain a similar level of play.
| Expected goals | Big chances created | Shots on target per game | xG allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Champions League six-pointer
While these two sides will want to keep pace with Chelsea to compete for the league, this is a match that could wind up being decisive in the hunt for the Champions League spots. One of the ‘big 4’ has to miss out, with only the top three spots being rewarded qualification. It was Manchester City last season and the goal for the Citizens this year is clear: finish in the top 3.
As for Arsenal, they can’t afford any dropped points. With Chelsea unlikely to have many slip-ups, the margin for error will be extremely tight. Arsenal have started unbeaten but a pair of draws sees them already four points off the leaders. A win here would be a strong statement from the European champions that they’re up for a title challenge. Our experts are predicting goals in this one - see the full analysis in our Manchester City vs Arsenal prediction!
Tottenham vs Brighton
Brighton are considered the ‘best of the rest’ right now outside of the four powerhouse teams. They finished fifth last season but were some way off the top four, finishing 15 points behind Man City. They have a chance to make up some ground in the Champions League race with the big 4 all facing off against one another.
It’s been a great start for Tottenham who are looking like a completely transformed team. Spurs are soaring in fourth place right now with three wins from their opening four matches. It’s a marked improvement over the side that finished second-from-bottom last year. In fact, they’ve already earned nearly half of their points total from last season (20), and we’re not even a quarterway through! We’ll see if they can keep up these kinds of performances with many expecting Brighton to bring them back down to Earth.
